OWCP has announce a new component of ECOMP that enables registered, designated representatives to securely view case data and documents in Office of Workers’ Compensation (OWCP) case files for the FECA program. See FECA Circular No. 22-01, dated 11/08/2021. I strongly suggest that clients review FECA Circular No. 22-01. The Entity Management System is a new feature in ECOMP that allows designated representatives, such as law firms, union representatives, individual attorneys, non-attorney representatives to access case data and case file documents electronically.
The claimant is not required to have representation in order to file or process a claim and despite the ability of representatives to register in ECOMP, OWCP does not endorse any representative or their services, nor can OWCP compel a representative to work on any claim or for any claimant. Agreements regarding fees and other services are made solely between the claimant and the representative. While claimants are not required to select a representative in order to file or process their claim, they have the option to request a representative at any time in the life of their claim. A claimant will be advised that designating an entity representative in ECOMP does NOT mean that that individual or group has agreed to represent the claimant.
Claimants who have previously designated representatives for their case files will not be required to go through the ECOMP designation process to continue representation by the same representative. But if that representative wants access to a claimant’s case through ECOMP, the claimant must be fully registered in ECOMP. A registered claimant who wishes to associate with an entity representative in ECOMP must complete the following steps for each case.
1. For each case, the claimant will be able to see if a representative is already connected to that case in ECOMP. If a representative is not currently connected with that case in ECOMP, the claimant is presented with the option to select a representative.
2. Designating a representative occurs on a case-by-case basis; if the claimant wishes to have a representative on multiple cases, they will have to designate the representative individually in each case.
3. If a representative has been designated, the case page will show the representative’s name as well as an option to revoke the association. The claimant can revoke the association at any time, and doing so will immediately remove the entity’s ability to access case data and documents.